Sony A9

EiTaro

Sony just announced what we would have hoped the 100th anniversary model would be. Probably it has better specs than the D6 that will be announced in a couple of years. Is there any reliable adapter for Nikon lenses?

manhattanboy

Wow, what a camera! What they don't talk about in the press release is how they managed to control rolling shutter. If someone can point to that information, I would be grateful. Thanks.

BVS

Surprised it doesn't use XQD cards, and it sounds like only one of the slots is UHS-II. So, it's got the buffer for 200+ raws, but how long does it take to save all those images to the cards?

Vipmediastar_JZ

I seen many Canon users jump to the Sony bandwagon for the sony sensor. I keep telling them Nikon already uses Sony sensors and there is silence.

I do like all those AF points. I haven't tried the sony camera but I hear its a welcome with dual slots and longer battery life.

BabaGanoush

Wake up call for Nikon. Thom Hogan is right when he touts the quality of some of Nikon's recent DSLR offerings (the D5, D810, and D500) and therefore he takes an optimistic view regarding Nikon's future. What he seldom acknowledges, however, is the speed with which Nikon's mirrorless competitors are moving forward with innovative technology in their products. For the short term, at least, Nikon is in the rear view mirror of a hard charging Sony. And there's more to come from Sony later this year when it is expected to release a high-pixel count successor to the extremely successful A7RII. I'm not saying Nikon is fading fast, because I don't know what products are in the Nikon pipeline for release in 2017, but from a bettor's point of view I would not be putting any money on Nikon in this horse race.

manhattanboy

BabaGanoush said:

Wake up call for Nikon. Thom Hogan is right when he touts the quality of some of Nikon's recent DSLR offerings (the D5, D810, and D500) and therefore he takes an optimistic view regarding Nikon's future. What he seldom acknowledges, however, is the speed with which Nikon's mirrorless competitors are moving forward with innovative technology in their products. For the short term, at least, Nikon is in the rear view mirror of a hard charging Sony. And there's more to come from Sony later this year when it is expected to release a high-pixel count successor to the extremely successful A7RII. I'm not saying Nikon is fading fast, because I don't know what products are in the Nikon pipeline for release in 2017, but from a bettor's point of view I would not be putting any money on Nikon in this horse race.

Thoms most recent comments are here:
http://www.sansmirror.com/newsviews/sony-goes-further-upscale.html

I agree with you though and think that Sony has its sights set on overtaking Canon. Emulate Canon where it makes sense (e.g. the white lenses and 100-400 zoom clone, etc.), and then use your strength in imaging to push ahead on other things like video and global shutter like mirrorless shooting.

What has to scare Nikon is the pace that Sony is able to innovate. A lot of that must stem from R&D dollars that they use to produce things like their acclaimed smart phone camera sensors (e.g. Google Pixel camera sensor, etc.). But what is scary for both Canon and Nikon is that Sony does not even have to be good at things like DAC, which Nikon seems to have perfected; they can rely on their superior innovative products and then just withhold those sensors from competitors. The quote from the Sony imaging C-suite about producing their best stuff for the Sony Camera division suddenly looks a lot more ominous for Nikon.

BabaGanoush

@manhattanboy: I'm not interested in the Sony A9, but I am interested in a high-pixel upgrade to the A7RII, which rumors say will come later in 2017. I am also very much interested in the new 100-400mm lens that was announced along with the A9. On paper it is spec'd like my Nikon 80-400mm. I'll wait for a few reviews of the 100-400mm to appear, but if it's anything like the FE 70-200mm or FE 70-300mm, which I already own, I'm sure to buy one for the added reach.

donaldejose

I too am wondering how well my Nikon lenses would work on a Sony body. The A9 and the high megapixel A7RII upgrade have my interest. Hopefully, Nikon will produce a similar line of mirrorless bodies this year.

decentrist

BabaGanoush said:

Wake up call for Nikon. Thom Hogan is right when he touts the quality of some of Nikon's recent DSLR offerings (the D5, D810, and D500) and therefore he takes an optimistic view regarding Nikon's future. What he seldom acknowledges, however, is the speed with which Nikon's mirrorless competitors are moving forward with innovative technology in their products. For the short term, at least, Nikon is in the rear view mirror of a hard charging Sony. And there's more to come from Sony later this year when it is expected to release a high-pixel count successor to the extremely successful A7RII. I'm not saying Nikon is fading fast, because I don't know what products are in the Nikon pipeline for release in 2017, but from a bettor's point of view I would not be putting any money on Nikon in this horse race.

yes, they'll dangle a new camera every few months for spec sniffers

PB_PM

I love how Sony's selling point is 500 shots per battery. Compared to a pro DSLR that's a joke. As for the auto focus, until we see how it really works, I wouldn't hail it as anything. We've seen Fuji and Olympus brag about DSLR speed/accuracy before, and it turned out to be nothing of the sort.

Pistnbroke

only 24 MP and costs enough to buy two D810 and some lenses ..not a business propositon..priced like a leica....

[Deleted User]

Yes some of these features seem cutting edge.

But Let's forget this camera for a moment. Consider how few Sony lenses are as good as comparable Nikons with Nikon offering lenses still not available from Sony (long teles). The 90mm f2 looks great on paper but others such as the 24-70 are poor performers. I cant say i'm impressed with most of the Zeiss/Sony lenses either though they are better than Sony options.

Feel that the Sony color is too saturated to Nikon. So buy into the hype if you must but Nikon produces closest to what I need in a camera system and most natural rendering. Megapixels increase from Nikon will come in due course keeping pace with Sony and Canon.

BabaGanoush

"yes, they'll dangle a new camera every few months for spec sniffers"

I see someone who's in denial, the first of the five stages of grief. Buck up, sonny. Nikon isn't done yet, not by a long shot. There's a lot of 2017 left for Nikon to surprise us all.

heartyfisher

A9 looks good.. A9 looks like it could be a real milestone in the Photo industry! Maybe the mirror-less tech has finally caught up with DSLR.. you could even say in most cases overtaken DSLR.. still it will be a a few months to a year before it is generically so.. just in time for Nikon to jump in ;-) .... The time line seem almost exactly as I have predicted all through the last 4-5 years. yay for me !!

One of my considerations in getting the D500 was I believed it would be the Last Great DX DSLR .. Something to show my grand kids (...when I get them )

Pistnbroke

If Iread the specs right ..does not record sound with the video .....what a load of .!!:::?
ERROR IN THE PRESS RELEASE TRANSLATION

snakebunk

I think this is the beginning of the end of Nikon cameras. If Nikon has a mirrorless camera that can compete with the A9 I would be happily surprised. For some people DSLRs will still be better, but that will change with even better mirrorless cameras being released. I will buy a D810 and I think it is the last new Nikon product I will buy. It is good to be a consumer and not a camera company .

Vipmediastar_JZ

PB_PM said:

I love how Sony's selling point is 500 shots per battery. Compared to a pro DSLR that's a joke. As for the auto focus, until we see how it really works, I wouldn't hail it as anything. We've seen Fuji and Olympus brag about DSLR speed/accuracy before, and it turned out to be nothing of the sort.

Well said. I returned Fuji for the shutter lag and focus lack of speed

donaldejose

I think heartyfisher is correct: the D500 will be the last of the great DX DSLRs. It is all about the mirror and the EVF. The absence of a mirror can be a great advantage if the EVF is good enough. The A9 may be the camera which demonstrates the mirror is now a disadvantage in a pro level sports and photojournalism camera. Apparently, Sony will release two other versions of the speed optimized A9 this year; a high resolution model optimized for landscape and portrait work and a low light model optimized for video. That would be extremely smart of Sony. If Nikon can buy those, or very similar, stacked senors, Nikon can remain in the game. If Sony refuses to sell the stacked sensor technology both Nikon and Canon will lose market share to Sony. The D810 or its replacement may be the last of the great FX high resolution DSLRs. If Nikon can get its hands on the Sony stacked sensors Nikon can still be in the game with its own mirrorless line. I would be willing to switch from Nikon to Sony except I cannot afford to replace all the lenses I have.

heartyfisher

Not sure why most people seem to think "a Nikon"="a DSLR" and "Mirrorless Success"="Nikon Failure". That is so illogical ! even our esteemed "Admin" says, "Today should be a day of mourning for all Nikon users and fans." Not me! not at all! I am very excited! I get to see a another new age in the history of photography. The last being Film -> Digital.

All this amazing features in the A9! .. er.. have we not seen most of it in a Nikon Mirror-less ? from about 2-3 years ago? Why do people think Nikon R&D have been doing nothing in the mirror-less area in the last 2-6 years?

Yes, I said the D500 could be the last great DX DSLR.. But I am also pretty sure that the next Pro DX Nikon will be much better!! and mirror-less.

donaldejose

Yes, look at the Nikonusa website. It used to have three divisions according to use: entry level, advanced amateur and professional. Now it has just two: DX and FX. Why reorganize that division from uses into types Nikon? Because a new mirrorless line is coming this summer, most likely. MX designation maybe? Remember that for years Sony made Nikon's best sensors. They have had a close working relationship for a long time. Sony may well sell the sensor technology in the A9 to Nikon with the stipulation that Sony gets to announce it first. In fact, maybe that technology was jointly developed. I am predicting four Nikon mirrorless bodies to match the four bodies Nikon now has in both their DX and FX categories. Two will be FX: a high speed pro like the A9 or D5 and either a high megapixel or a D750 equivalent mirrorless FX body. I say it is most likely to be a high megapixel mirrorless body. Two of the mirrorless bodies will be DX: one like the D7200 and one entry level body like the D5xxx or D3xxx series. That way Nikon will have a mirrorless choice for their most popular camera bodies from entry level to professional and that will bring Nikon back into the game. I also hope for a few "pancake" lenses designed for mirrorless so you can put the entry level mirrorless body with lens attached into a big pocket. But what if Sony refuses to share its stacked sensor technology and Nikon still needs many years to develop it on its own? Then Nikon's market share will drop. We should know by the end of this year.

snakebunk

heartyfisher said:

Not sure why most people seem to think "a Nikon"="a DSLR" and "Mirrorless Success"="Nikon Failure". That is so illogical !

I think Nikon is too late when it comes to large sensor mirrorless cameras. I can definitely be wrong in my assumption, but why is it illogical?

BabaGanoush

PB_PM said:

I love how Sony's selling point is 500 shots per battery. Compared to a pro DSLR that's a joke. As for the auto focus, until we see how it really works, I wouldn't hail it as anything. We've seen Fuji and Olympus brag about DSLR speed/accuracy before, and it turned out to be nothing of the sort.

Batteries don't take pictures; cameras take pictures. The only circumstance when battery capacity matters to me is for underwater photography, when I can least afford to come to the surface to change my camera battery. Otherwise, it's no problem for me to carry spare batteries for my mirrorless cameras. And as for autofocus, I already know from experience that the AF system on the A6300 is pretty darn sweet for my needs. I don't shoot fast sports, so the slight edge a good Nikon DSLR offers in AF tracking over the A6300 is not a major selling point. For me, it is more important that (in theory) mirrorless dispenses with the need for the archaic DSLR engineering silliness known as the "micro adjustment." Its time has come and gone.

BVS

donaldejose said:

Yes, look at the Nikonusa website. It used to have three divisions according to use: entry level, advanced amateur and professional. Now it has just two: DX and FX. Why reorganize that division from uses into types Nikon? Because a new mirrorless line is coming this summer, most likely. MX designation maybe?

It's actually: DX, FX, and Special Purpose (Df and D810A).

Looks like they're also organizing their models so it's easier for newcomers to understand the lineup. There's some nice new (or at least it's the first time I've seen them) widgets on the three pages that show you how each camera fits into the lineup, and even lets you see the past models of the same class/level (on the DX page).

One thing that would be nice to add is an easy way to compare all the new and old models of the same class, e.g. compare D7500, D7200, D7100 with one click rather than having to view all and then select them.

donaldejose

BVS: Right, I didn't include the special purpose category since I don't think it is a real comprehensive category; just two rarely used cameras that don't fit anywhere. They may not be reproduced anymore due to lack of sales.

PB_PM

BabaGanoush said:

Batteries don't take pictures; cameras take pictures.

And cameras with dead batteries don't take pictures at all. Not everyone has a budget to buy 5 batteries just to make it through one sports event. Not everyone sits around taking head shots all day.

Why would, or should I, when one or two batteries will do with my DSLR? If you want to spend $300-$500 on batteries to get through a few hours, be my guest. That and the auto focus actually works for things that move. The mirrorless cameras I used couldn't even keep up with my niece, let alone a sports player.

donaldejose

Of course, we will have to wait for the reviews to see if the tech works as advertised.